Three players—Mirra Andreeva, Jasmine Paolini, and Elena Rybakina—are battling for the final two spots in the WTA Finals this week in Ningbo. However, Andreeva’s campaign got off to a shaky start.
Andreeva dropped her opening match at the WTA 500 event on Wednesday night, despite taking the first set. She lost 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 to China’s Zhu Lin.
Zhu’s win over the world No. 6 Andreeva marked the third Top 10 victory of her career, following two major wins earlier this year: against No. 6 Maria Sakkari at the Australian Open and No. 7 Caroline Garcia in Cleveland.
Although Andreeva suffered this early setback, her chances of qualifying for the WTA Finals remain alive. If Elena Rybakina loses her opening match on Thursday, Andreeva will secure her spot in Riyadh. Rybakina faces Dayana Yastremska, a former Australian Open semifinalist with five career wins over Top 10 players, making an upset possible.
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Rybakina, meanwhile, cannot qualify this week, but Paolini still can—if she reaches the final or reaches the semifinals while Rybakina falls short.
Race to the WTA Finals (after Andreeva’s loss in Ningbo; qualified players in bold):
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Aryna Sabalenka — 9,990 points
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Iga Swiatek — 8,303 points
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Coco Gauff — 6,573 points
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Amanda Anisimova — 5,897 points
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Jessica Pegula — 5,183 points
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Madison Keys — 4,395 points
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Mirra Andreeva — 4,320 points
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Jasmine Paolini — 4,131 points
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Elena Rybakina — 3,913 points
